Visualization Network

...bring great people together. Visualization Network pulls together the best visualization experts in the world to create custom learning experiences for you and your team. We help people brainstorm, organize, plan, communicate and measure better using the visual arts. With experts from all over the world in all of the visualization specialities, we have experience in your industry and your topic. Don't have time to do it yourself? We can do the work for you. We'll bring together the best of the best to meet your needs effectively, efficiently, and in a compelling way.

Tom Crawford is the Owner and Principal of Visualization Network, providing education and hands-on experiences for leaders who need to solve problems and communicate more effectively. Before starting the current business, he was CEO of VizThink, an organization dedicated to the creation of a sustainable, global community of people who use any form of the visual arts for learning and communication.

With an extensive background in technology, 2007 was Tom's 20th year as a professional programmer. However, in 2000, his career began to diverge from enterprise systems design and implementation into corporate education, simulation, and gaming. He spent 6 years at Root Learning starting the digital interactive team. Root's strong use of art and metaphor introduced him to the power of visualization for learning and communication. Through extensive experimentation and testing with customers such as Blockbuster, Pepsi, and Bank of America, he developed extensive theories on interactivity, engagement, and visualization. In 2006, Tom left Root to become Vice President of the Masie Center, an association of learning executives and professionals. Later, he continued a focus on visualization and learning when he was named the CEO of VizThink.

In the past several years, Tom has run workshops on learning, simulations, visualization, and communication all over the world for thousands of people. He is a well-respected and often requested speaker for organizations of all shapes and sizes.

In addition to workshops, Tom speaks frequently to diverse groups around the world on topics such as:

Visualization Methods for Solving Problems & Communication
Simulation Design
Games for Learning
Virtual Worlds for Learning
Social Media Strategies
Avatars and Virtual Characters
Selecting and Implementing Technology
User Interface & Usability Design

Here is a selection of his recent speaking engagements:

Designing Data for Analysis and Visualization
	September 2009, U.S. Government
Visual Literacy: Approaches, Tools, and Applications to Improve Learning Effectiveness in the K-6 Classroom
	August 2009, Oakland Schools
Introduction to Charts and Graphs
	April 2009, U.S. Government
Visualization for Learning
	September 2008, Brandon Hall Conference
Top Non-Learning Innovations that are Impacting Learning
	October 2007, Brandon Hall Conference
Machinima: When Video Isn�t Video at All
	February 2007, Adobe
ROI: Real or Phony Measure?
	November 2006, Learning 2006
Unholy Union: Innovation by Mixing Unnatural Things
	June 2006, Games, Learning, and Society Conference

Outside of work, Tom is an avid traveler having been to all 50 states, half of the Canadian provinces, and more than a dozen countries. Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he's a composer, muscian, an avid (amatuer) chef, and has been known to enjoy a nice glass of red wine (which also means he has become a fan of frequent trips to the gym).